1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to structural glazing systems for skylights in solaria, greenhouses, barrel vaults and like structures and more particularly, to skylight structural glazing systems having an internal fastening network which effectively eliminates the need for exterior fasteners, holes and slots normally used in conventional skylight mounting and support systems. The structural glazing systems of this invention include a bottom closure system for securing glass or plastic skylight panels between straight runs of the carrier beam supporting members and a side closure system for mounting the panels between carrier beam structural members extending over walls, headers, sills or jambs in a structure. Each of the bottom and side closure systems includes multiple, specially designed, open-chamber carrier beams which are each shaped to receive a pair of spaced, parallel, elevated carrier glazing strips for engaging the edges of the bottom surfaces of a pair of adjacent glass or plastic skylight panels to be mounted. Multiple companion exterior glazing caps, each of which includes a pair of spaced cap glazing strips for engaging the edges of the top surfaces of the glass or plastic skylight panels are also provided, for securing the skylight panels between the exterior glazing caps and the corresponding carrier beams by means of spaced cap bolts, which are inserted from the underside of the carrier beams through spaced openings provided therein, into the exterior glazing caps. A carrier beam closure is removably fastened to the bottom edges of some of the carrier beams and to the side edges of other carrier beams, to close the chamber, conceal the cap bolts and facilitate access to the cap bolts from the inside structure for removal of the skylight panels without the necessity of traversing the roof of the structure. Moreover, where necessary for structural purposes, stabilizer clips are mounted in the carrier beams, in order to stiffen the carrier beams.
Conventional skylight glazing systems for residential, commercial and other structures, such as fixed or movable, sloped or curved glazing in solaria, greenhouses and barrel vaults, in non-exclusive particular, are normally designed to facilitate access to the glass or plastic skylight panels from the roof of the structure in which the skylight panels are installed. These glazing systems typically include various fasteners and sealing systems which are accessed from the roof of the structure, in order to replace damaged glass or plastic skylight panels or to perform routine maintenance on the glazing system structural elements. A primary problem which is frequently realized in conventional structural glazing systems is that of seating and sealing the panels within the structural members in such a manner as to prevent leakage of water and infiltration of dust and other undesirable elements through the system and yet facilitate efficient maintenance of the installation.
Sloped or overhead skylight glazing systems generally include multiple horizontal framing members interconnected with cooperating vertical framing members to form a structural framing grid or lattice which defines multiple glazed openings of selected size, into which openings glass or plastic panels are installed. The grid may be pitched or sloped at a selected angle with respect to the horizontal or it may be rounded, as in a greenhouse, and various forms of connecting and sealing components are employed to secure the panels within the glazing openings, to minimize infiltration of moisture, air and dust from the outside to the inside of the structure. Typical sealing components include resilient ceiling gaskets which grip the inner and outer panel surfaces, together with means for tightening these gaskets against these surfaces to create water and air-tight connections. Calk is also sometimes used to facilitate such water, air and dust-tight connections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various structural glazing systems are known in the prior art for mounting glass skylight panels on sloped or overhead glazing systems, including greenhouses. Typical of these systems is the Modular Solar Greenhouse detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,390, dated July 31, 1984, to Holdridge, et al. The modular solar greenhouse detailed in this patent incorporates rigid, curving overhead frames provided with screw and nut tracks for ease of assembly and also uses companion east side and west side end modules for mounting a thermally broken glazing system. The exterior and interior portions of the aluminum frame extrusions are bonded together by a strong plastic material and at least one overhead heat storage unit is carried by the rigid frame. A "Ventilating Skylight" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,340, dated May 22, 1984, to Arthur P. Jentoft, et al. The skylight includes a domed or flat glazing which is adapted to fit within the opening of a roof having a peripheral frame which is fixed to the roof about the opening. The frame is characterized by a base frame and an operating leaf frame and a retainer is used to secure the skylight cover over the operating leaf frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,472, dated Nov. 11, 1986, to Werner Kloke, details a "Glazed Structural System and Components Therefore". The patent discloses skylight structures wherein the supporting and supported structural members defining the metal framework, including flange formations upon which the glass panels are secured, are provided with longitudinally-extending drainage channel formations. The open ends of the drainage channel formations of the supported structural members intersect and overlap the drainage channel formations of the supporting structural members. Accordingly, water collected therein is discharged into the drainage channel formations of the supporting structural members at a point remote from the intersections thereof. The structural members are interconnected by displaceable clamping means carried by the overlapping ends, including a clip embracing the ends from below in the region of overlap and upon displacement, upwardly engage the flange formations of the supporting structural members from below. A "Rafter with Internal Drainage Feature and Sloping Glazing System Incorporating Same" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,905, dated July 21, 1987, to James A. Rockar. The patent details a sloped curtain wall or glazing system for a building, which system includes a plurality of rafters and purlins interconnected to provide at least one panel opening for retaining a panel. The rafters have an upwardly sloping vertical glazing pocket adapted to receive a vertical marginal edge portion of a panel and the purlins have a horizontal glazing pocket adapted to receive a horizontal marginal edge portion of a panel. The rafters further include a semi-enclosed drainage channel and a condensate gutter which are not disposed in fluid communication with either the drainage channel or the vertical glazing pocket. The purlins further include a condensation gutter and the purlin and rafter condensation gutters are disposed in fluid communication with each other. The drainage channel is provided with at least one opening to put the vertical and horizontal glazing pockets in communication therewith. The glazing system further includes a seal for separately collecting and discharging the infiltration moisture collected in the drainage system and the condensation moisture collected in the rafter condensation gutter.
It is an object of this invention to provide new and improved sloped or curved structural glazing systems for skylights which effectively eliminate the need for conventional exterior fasteners, slots, sealing devices and holes commonly used for installing, maintaining and replacing glass and plastic skylight panels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved structural skylight glazing system which is characterized by a bottom closure carrier beam system wherein the skylight panels can be installed, maintained and replaced from inside a structure by detaching bottom-mounted closure members from the carrier beams and installing or removing multiple cap bolts from the carrier beams and companion exterior glazing caps, to secure and free the skylight panels, respectively.
Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved structural glazing systems for skylights which include a side closure carrier beam system utilizing carrier beam closures which are side-mounted on selected carrier beams to facilitate installation, maintenance and removal of the glass or plastic skylight panels from inside a structure without traversing the roof.
A still further object of this invention is to provide structural glazing systems for skylights which include multiple, spaced carrier beams oriented in a lattice or grid configuration and fitted with elevated glazing strips for receiving the bottom edges of adjacent glass or plastic skylight panels and multiple companion exterior glazing caps fitted with additional glazing strips for receiving and contacting the corresponding top edges of the adjacent panels for securing the panels between the glazing strips from inside the structure using cap bolts which extend upwardly through the carrier beams to threadably engage the exterior glazing caps. Still another object of the invention is to provide structural glazing systems for sloped and curved skylights in structures such as solaria, greenhouses, barrel vaults and like structures, which systems include multiple carrier beams mounted in spaced and intersecting relationship in the structure, the carrier beams each having an open chamber, an intersecting system of condensate gutters and a pair of bottom glazing strips attached to elevated glazing strip supports extending from flat shoulders in the carrier beams, for receiving the bottom edges of glass or plastic skylight panels, and further including cooperating exterior glazing caps for mounting on companion carrier beams, respectively, the exterior glazing caps characterized by top glazing strips for engaging the top corresponding edges of the skylight panels and securing the panels in position in the structure by means of cap bolts inserted through the carrier beams from inside the open chamber and threadably engaging the exterior glazing caps.